influences on food choice

• physical activity level:

  • different people have different physical activity levels
  • people with high PALs need more calories
  • a person who has an active lifestyle will need to consume around 20 percent more calories per day than people with a sedentary lifestyle
  • athletes may choose food to help improve their performance, eg high protein foods to help build muscle or high carb foods to help with insurance
• healthy eating:

  • people trying to eat healthily will choose foods based on their nutritional value, eg low sugar and high vitamins
  • people with allergies or intolerances will need to avoid certain foods
• cost of food:

  • people choose food based on its price, generally theyll go for the cheaper option, unless they think its worth paying more for better quality
  • people will go for foods on special offer
  • supermarkets often show a price per gram, to help people compare different products
  • it can be cheaper per portion to make your own food than buy ready meals
• income:

  • people on high incomes are more likely to buy expensive items, because a high price means its of higher quality
  • people on low incomes are more likely to go for the cheaper food option - ie cheaper processed foods as opposed to fresh meat, fruit and vegetables
  • in general, people on lower incomes tend to have poorer diets than high income groups
• culinary skills:

  • some people are great cooks, but some people are not
  • people may not try difficult recipes in case it goes wrong as they may not want to waste food and money, especially if there is a ready made version as well
• lifestyle:

  • people who are feeling stressed or bored are more likely to go for comfort food - generally high in fat or sugar
  • people leading busy lives can struggle to find time to make a proper meal. this can make it tempting to grab something unhealthy for ease
  • people have different eating patterns - some have proper meals, whereas others tend to graze throughout the day
  • some people have bad habits such as eating large meals right before bed or not eating breakfast
• seasonality:

  • certain UK grown foods are only available at certain times of the year
  • people worried about the environmental impacts of food miles may buy local foods that are in season and avoid imports from around the world
• availability:

  • people are more likely to buy and eat foods which are readily available
  • with online shopping on the rise, more and more people in rural areas are able to order online and have supermarkets deliver food to them
• special occasions:

  • special occasions are often celebrated with a large meal
• enjoyment:

  • people tend to choose the food that they enjoy
  • smell, appearance, flavour and texture all affect a foods palatability
  • foods people enjoy eating are not necessarily healthy and people are generally drawn more towards fatty and sugary foods